


Good Intentions

by Vampswitch



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Brother-Sister Relationships, F/M, Family, Gen, Nalu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-12
Updated: 2013-08-18
Packaged: 2017-12-23 05:52:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/922761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vampswitch/pseuds/Vampswitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lucy needs the help of an S-Class mage to take on a particular mission, but the only one available at the time is Laxus. While on their mission, the two grow closer. NOT LaLu romance! Natsu/Lucy romance, Laxus and Lucy develop a sibling like relationship which the story focuses on most.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Good Intentions**

 

Genre: Family, Romance, Friendship, mild Drama, some Fluff

Pairings: Natsu/Lucy (others optional)

Main Characters: Laxus, Lucy, Natsu, other main Fairy Tail cast

Developing sibling like relationship/feelings between Laxus and Lucy

Additional summary: A well intended deed from an old friend may cause Lucy to lose everything and everyone she holds dear. Unless…

Chapter 1

It was a regular day at the guild.

Levy sat at one of the tables in the back, her nose buried in a new book. Beside her was Gajeel, snacking on some metal scraps, and Lily, enjoying his glass of Kiwi juice.  
Jet and Droy were at a table close by, sending the iron dragon slayer jealous glares. Not that the dark haired man noticed or cared.

Cana was located near the bar, drinking from her usual barrel of beer.  
Macao and Wakaba sat with her, joking around about the good old times.  
Other assorted members, currently not out on a mission, were similarly goofing around the guild hall, doing what they usually did.

Mirajane was happily tending the bar, while trying to cheer up Master Makarov, who sat across from her, a huge stack of papers piled in front of him.  
The old man had been fighting with the paperwork for the council for hours now.  
Why did being Guildmaster have to come with all this paperwork?

And why did it have to be so complicated?

His children caused a lot of chaos, he knew that. The council knew that. Hell, all of Fiore knew that!  
Why, oh why was it necessary to put it down in such detailed writing? The damage reports he could handle – after about the fifty-sixth of those, one kinda got the hang of how to fill them out. But all these other ones were a pain in the ass!

Claims about the disturbance of peace, demands to explain and justify the need for excessive force, tax forms for the guild hall, the half yearly report for the magic council,… it was endless!

And everything was always so convoluted and complicated, not to mention laborious.

He missed the times when a Guildmaster could simply walk up to the council, take care of business and be done with it.  
Now it was all bureaucracy this and paperwork that and 'please fill out form 28b'! And since he never got it right on the first try, the council would send even more paperwork to correct the mistakes made on the first batch, which – naturally - came with additional cost.

He felt like crying.

Despairing over another one of the never ending sheets of paper, he was momentarily startled when he heard the boisterous shout of Fairy Tails resident fire dragon slayer.

"We are back!"

"Welcome back!"

So, Team Natsu had returned from their mission. The Master felt a headache beginning to set in as he wondered about the damage his most destructive band of children had caused this time. More paperwork. More bills. He was really getting too old for this.

And he couldn't figure out this darn section in the tax report before him.

Did they mean for him to list the income of every one of his brats, or the accumulated money from missions? And if so, then did they mean all missions, or just the ones that had been successfully completed? Or just the S-Class missions?

His frustration finally got the better of him and the old man screamed, throwing his hands in the air.

"Aaargh! Why does this have to be so complicated?!"

Lucy, who had made her way up to the bar when she and the rest of her team had returned from their last job, (their pay cut once again because her friends forgot to hold back while fighting in the city and damaging houses, again!) nearly spilled her just received drink at the Guildmaster's outburst.

She looked at the short man, only a few seats beside her at the bar.

"Is something wrong Master?"

Mirajane, who stood between the two on the other side of the bar, smiled softly.

"Don't worry Lucy. Master is just having trouble with the paperwork for the council."

At that Makarov moaned pitifully.

"Paperwork for the council, paperwork for the city, paperwork for the guild… its endless. Why do I have to be tortured like this? Why?"

Then the short Fairy Tail master started banging his head against the bar's surface, further disarranging the papers before him. One of which fell to the floor. Seeing this, the blond celestial wizard stood and picked up the half filled out tax form from the ground, her eyes flitting over it.

"Master, this isn't right."

Makarov paused in his attempts to dent the wood of the bar with his head and stared questioningly at Lucy.

"What do you mean?"

Her eyes still on the paper, Lucy sat on the stool right beside the old man and began explaining.

"You made a mistake here, in fact, you made several."

She pointed to a certain part of the form in her hand.

"See, this section here deals with property, not people. And here you need to list off all resources that are used exclusively for the guild and its members. And what you wrote down there," then she quickly searched through the papers laying haphazardly around before them, grabbing one of them after a few seconds. "- actually is information needed for this form."

She looked at her Guildmaster, only to see him staring at her with huge, sparkling eyes.

"Lucy, my dear, could it be that you have experience with these… matters?"

There was an unmistakably hopeful tone to his voice. Lucy nodded.

"My father made sure I knew all about running a business, and, well, a guild isn't that much different. At least when it comes to the management side of things, like paperwork. If you like, I could go over some of these and see if I can find some ways to save on money. Rule number one when dealing with matters like this, there are always loopholes. At least that's what Father used to say."

Now Makarov's face held and expression of complete and utter awe and admiration. Tears of wonder were gathering in his eyes.

"Are you saying, you would actually do this paperwork for me?"

He looked at her like a puppy begging for a treat. Lucy nervously shrugged her shoulders.

"Sure, I mean, if that's ok. I can do this."

With that, Makarov could no longer keep himself in check.

"Lucy! You are an angel sent from above!"

And he launched himself right at her, snuggling his head into her bosom. The blond's face heated in embarrassment and anger, but before she could throw her perverted Master off, Mira quickly plucked him from her chest.

"Master, I'm gonna get angry!" She scolded.

But Makarov apparently didn't hear her, mumbling the words "no more paperwork" and "so soft" over and over.

Lucy resignedly shook her head over their Masters behaviour and returned her attention to the stack of papers in front of her.

"Better get started."

\-----------

 

And so began Lucy's little part-time job as Fairy Tail's very own specialist for all things dealing with paperwork and Guild-Management.

The Master was at first just happy that he didn't have to wrestle his way through the nightmare that was bureaucracy anymore, but quickly became overjoyed when the city lowered the monthly cost for the Fairy Tail facilities, due to one of those little loopholes Lucy had mentioned.

He insisted that from then on, Lucy use his office whenever she did his paperwork, as she deserved some peace and quiet while helping him out.

Then he had to put Erza in charge of stopping Natsu from barging into his office whenever Lucy was working in there, after the first time the salmon haired dragon slayer had sniffed her out there and dragged her back down with him.

The old man shook his head amusedly as he looked down at all his children from his place at the banister of the second floor.

Team Natsu had undertaken two major and well paying missions this month, and somehow managed to cause only a minimal amount of damage. This had left Lucy, for once, with enough money for her rent and other necessities. Which was why she answered with a firm "No." when Natsu had attempted to take her on another mission shortly after the team made it back from their last one.

"But Luuuuuce! This mission sounds like its gonna be tons of fun! And we can do it without Erza and the pervy popsicle!"

Naturally, Gray – who was currently missing his shirt – had heard that remark and was in Natus's face only seconds later.

"What was that, Lizard boy?"

Natsu pressed right back.

"You heard me Ice Princess!"

"Wanna go Flame Brain?"

"Bring it on Frost Fart!"

Some punches and kicks later and half of the guild was involved in the brawl.

Makarov was contemplating if he should put a stop to it, when he saw the beautiful celestial mage approach him from the side.

"Lucy my dear, is there anything you need?"

She smiled at him.

"I was actually wondering if I could hide out in your office for a while. As soon as Erza is finished with her cake, she will probably stop the fight, and then Natsu is going to pester me about taking this job again. I'm afraid that he is gonna wear me down sooner or later, and after our last two missions, I was really hoping to catch a little break. I figure if I can evade him long enough, he might get distracted with something else and forget about the mission."

The Master suppressed a smirk. Ever since Lucy had started doing the guilds paperwork, she had a little less time for her fire breathing partner. Based on the many times Natsu tried to break into his office while she was in there and then – after being intercepted and pummeled by Erza – spent the rest of the time sulking until Lucy was finished with her work, Makarov could easily deduce that the dragon slayer was using the mission as an excuse to spend more time with the girl.

_/Ah, young love./_

He wondered when those two would finally get together. It couldn't be too much longer now.

Makarov knew that, despite popular believe, Natsu wasn't completely oblivious to his beautiful partners female charms, as well as his own ever growing feelings for her.

The way the Master saw it, the only reason those two weren't together already, was because of their closeness, as strange as that sounded.

Right now Natsu didn't crave a deeper relationship with Lucy, because they were together all the time anyway. They went on missions together, they hung out at the guild together, Natsu and Happy were over at her place all the time. Hell, if what Mirajane had told him earlier was right, the little moron even snuck into her bed and slept beside her from time to time.

Lucy was his partner and best friend. Natsu had pretty much secured his place in her life, and right now, having her close to him was all the dragon slayer needed.

Her constant availability to him was probably what kept him from maturing, in a way. Natsu may not be as dense as most believed him to be, but he was innocent when it came to matters of sexual desire. Which made sense to Makarov.

After all, Natsu had Lucy. They were closer to each other than anyone else in the guild. No one in Fairy Tail was a serious threat to his position in her life, so there was no need for Natsu to change their current relationship. To ingrain himself even deeper into her life.

Of course, the physical aspect would come in time.

Lucy was a desirable young woman and Natsu was a healthy and (however slowly) maturing young man, who would some day wake up to his feelings and carnal desires for her.

The old Master just feared that with the way things were going, it would be some time still until he would see these two openly expressing their love for each other.

And they did love each other, of that he had no doubt.

It was just a matter of realizing that there could be even more than what they already had. But that was something they both needed to do, because Lucy was just as bad as Natsu.

Actually, the blond might be even worse than her partner, Makarov thought.

While Natsu might be slow in waking up to his feelings and desires for her, as soon as he did, he would act on them. Makarov was certain that the destructive dragon slayer wasn't the type to waste time when it came to something he wanted, and as soon as he learned of the full extent of his want for his partner, he would do everything in his power to get her.

Lucy, on the other hand, would probably be far more reserved. She would obsess over 'what if' scenarios and all the possible ways that her feelings for him could change things and what all could go wrong. She would be battling fears of rejection, whenever not in a state of denial. And in-between those times, the pretty young woman would keep her feelings close to her chest, hidden from everyone else.

Because Natsu was someone who mostly acted without thinking and Lucy thought out every possible avenue before she acted. It was one of the reasons those two made such a good team. But in this singular circumstance, this difference between them made Natsu the one that needed to start off their romance.

"Master?"

Lucy's voice brought him out of his musings and made him look up at her questioning eyes. He realized she was still waiting for an answer and suddenly, an idea hit him. He smirked.

"Why, of course Lucy. Feel free to use my office to get a little break from your partner. In fact, I think after all the work you have been doing for me, you deserve a vacation. How do you feel about going away for a few days?"

Lucy blinked, beyond surprised at this sudden turn of events. She quickly waved her hand in front of herself.

"Oh, no, that's really not necessary, Master. I-" But the old man just jumped down from his perch, landing beside her, and started ushering her into the direction of his office.

"Nonsense child, everyone needs a little breather from time to time. And I know just the place for you to get away from the chaos for a bit."

"But Master, I don't-"

"Yes, yes. You will love it, I'm sure. Don't worry, I will just make a quick call and check if you can stay a few days. Do you want to leave tonight already?"

Lucy was trying to get the man to stop and listen to her.

"No Master, I don't want to leave for some vacation today!"

The old man nodded.

"Right you are, you will need at least a day to prepare and pack. So I will see if I can arrange your departure for tomorrow!"

They had at this point reached the Master's office and he happily gave the blond celestial wizard a little push into the room.

"That's not what I meant-" Lucy got no further as the door behind her closed and she heard the old mage's merry voice through the wood separating them.

"Don't worry Lucy, I will take care of everything. You just relax here for a bit and if Natsu starts asking for you, I will tell him you are helping me with matters concerning the guild."

Lucy wearily rubbed her forehead, sighing softly. She just wanted to avoid having to go on another mission, she didn't need a whole vacation!

_/Oh well, I probably won't be getting through to Master right now, so I might as well enjoy a little peace and quiet here and take a little nap. I will try and talk Master out of this later./_

Nodding to herself, Lucy walked to the comfortable couch in the big office and laid down to get an hour or two worth of shut-eye.

 

On the other side of the door, Makarov was rubbing his hands in glee. He had the perfect plan to help his two children and speed things up a bit.

Wasn't there a saying stating that 'absence makes the heart grow fonder'?

And Natsu's recent behaviour indicated that the boy was getting closer to understanding that he wanted more than friendship from Lucy. The less time the girl spent with Natsu, the more possessive and clingy he got.

So, if Makarov arranged for Lucy to be gone for a few days, that would surly push the dragon slayer over the edge and force him to confront his feelings for her.

He cackled almost evilly as he made his way downstairs to look for the guilds communications lacrima.

_/Mira should know where it is./_

\----------------------

 

When Lucy woke up an hour and a half later, she felt refreshed enough for round two of 'convince the Master to cancel whatever arrangements he made for my vacation'.

She got up and was out the door, ready to go looking for the little, old man, only to stop in her tracks when seeing who was sitting in the chair outside the office, usually occupied by Erza, and listening to the music from his lacrima-player.

"Oh, Laxus. What are you doing here?"

Upon noticing Lucy, the blond dragon slayer took off his earphones, hung them around his neck and shrugged his shoulders.

"Erza was needed for some kind of last minute mission and gramps didn't want the little idiot to barge into his office and disturb you. So I got guard duty."

The celestial mage sheepishly wrung her hands together.

"Sorry Laxus. I'm sure you had better things to do than babysit me."

He shrugged again.

"It's no big deal. Bix and Ever were kinda getting on my nerves anyway. And it's always fun to pound Natsu."

A slightly sadistic grin spread over the older blond's face and Lucy laughed nervously, averting her eyes. It wasn't that she was scared of Laxus. Ever since he had showed up on Tenrou island to help them and rejoined the guild, he had proven himself to be a true member of Fairy Tail. He wasn't the man he had been when she joined the guild all those years ago, she knew that and had long since forgiven him for his actions back then.

She didn't believe in grudges anyway. Holding on to them was way too tiring.

But the fact was that she didn't really know much about the man before her. They hardly ever interacted or spoke with each other and she was unsure of how to act in his presence. Since Laxus had rejoined the guild, she had come to see him as an honorable, loyal and powerful man, who she honestly admired. And she didn't want to say or do anything that might leave a bad impression with him.

Bad enough that he had been forced to sit in front of an office just so she could sleep undisturbed.

_/He probably thinks of me as a nuisance already./_

So while she was trying to come up with something to say that wouldn't make her sound like an imbecile, her gaze landed on the mission board for S-Class requests. And while she didn't even try to read any of the flyers up there, one word, or rather, a name, sprang out to her.

Eyes widening in recognition, she all but ran over to the board and ripped down the flyer.

 

Laxus watched curiously as the girl read over the mission request. He was surprised, to say the least. Lucy didn't strike him as the type who was interested in the more dangerous S-Class missions. Maybe the pink haired moron was rubbing off on her. It still seemed unlikely though. But on the other hand, what did he know? It wasn't like him and Lucy had spent any quality time together in the past to get to know each other.

Partly his fault, he admitted to himself.

Every time he saw the young celestial wizard, he was reminded of the time Phantom Lord had attacked Fairy Tail in order to kidnap her. And with that came the memory of his demand in exchange for his help. Not something he was proud of.

Her skittish behaviour around him didn't exactly ease his guilty conscience. He couldn't blame her for it, though. Unlike the others, she hadn't known him before his 'fall from grace', as he liked to call his behaviour back then. By the time Lucy joined Fairy Tail, Laxus had already been too deep in his downward spiral of anger, jealousy and an obsession for power for all the wrong reasons.

It stung a bit that she was able to forgive Juvia, who had kidnapped her, and Gajeel, who had beaten her during her captivity, with such ease, and yet she still wasn't comfortable in his own presence.

It was one of the reasons why he hadn't objected when his gramps asked him to guard his office in Erza's place. He was trying to make amends.

If he could just get her to stop being so damn nervous around him, maybe even get to know her a little.

He just needed an opportunity to spend a little time with her. That shouldn't be too hard, right?

He was pulled out of his inner musings when Lucy suddenly appeared right in front of him, the mission request she had been reading clutched tightly in her hand.

"Laxus, please go on this job with me!"

The man blinked, surprised.

_/Well, isn't that convenient./_

 

to be continued...

 

Alright, the new story is finally up. I'm really excited about writing this one and I hope you all will be equally excited about reading it.

Now for some fanfic recommendations:

\- **A Summer Fairy Tail** , by Nardragon: Modern World AU. Natsu/Lucy pairing. Very humorous and romantic. Status: complete. Though there are some hiccups in with the grammar (sometimes the author forgets some words), the story is still decently written and over all very enjoyable. Apart from Lucy and Natsu, other pairings get their time to shine as well. Such as Gray and Juvia and Gajeel and Levy.

\- **The Astrologist** , by NavyBlueWings: Also a modern world AU. Natsu/Lucy pairing. Status: ongoing. Instead of Mirajane, Lucy tries her hand at helping her fellow guildmates find love. With the help of her knowledge in not only psychology, but also astrology, she seems to be doing rather well. But what about her own chances at romance. The story hasn't progressed that much yet (plot-wise), but so far I can say that it is very well written and the characters are also pretty in-character here.

\- **Fairy Academy** , by Biofawriter10: Another modern world AU, that has the gang in highschool. Natsu/Lucy pairing. Status: complete. What I liked about this story the most is the rather unique way the author made Natsu and Lucy realize their feelings for each other. Also much humor in this one. If you haven't read it yet, I urge you to give it a go.

\- **Year of the Sun** , by jane3876: Pairing: Natsu/Lucy. Status: complete. Team Natsu comes across a dying older Dragon Slayer on their way to or from a mission and rescue his infant son out of a burning building. With his dying breath, the man make Natsu promise to take care of his son. Naturally, Lucy is there with him all the way. Very cute story of our two favourite mages taking their first steps into parenthood, while slowly realizing their feelings for each other.

\- **Fairy Country Club** , by SpinalCoil: Pairing: Natsu/Lucy. Status: ongoing. Modern world AU. (I seem to be recommending a lot of those today…) I can't tell you too much about the story, because, to be honest, I don't know that much yet myself. But the layout so far is intriguing. The story gives neither too much, nor too little detail, so the reader can wonder about things without being confused. I also like they way the characters have been portrayed so far and I think it will turn out to be a great story.

Alright, that's it so far from me. Please feel free to offer up your own story rec's for everyone in a review. Oh, and of course your opinion on this chapter. :-)


	2. Chapter 2

This is the shortest chapter I have ever written, but it was either cut here, or have a much too long chapter. So I hope you aren't too disappointed. The next chapter shouldn't take me too long.

 

**Chapter 2**

 

„Natsu! Let me go!" demanded the blond haired girl while trying to dislodge the two muscular arms currently wrapped tightly around her waist. The more she wriggled against his grasp, the tighter Natsu held her, pressing her back against his front.

He growled. "No! You didn't want to go on a mission with me and now suddenly you are taking one with Laxus? And how come I can't come along? You're MY partner!"

Anger and frustration had made his voice rougher, with the occasional growls that vibrated through his chest. Due to her very close proximity to that very same chest, Lucy could feel the rumbles they created. She squirmed again in his arms, looking beseechingly at her friends and guildmates all around them, silently asking for help. But was disappointed when she was only met with smirking faces. Damn them all. The only people who would have possibly been sympathetic to her plight - Levy, Wendy and Erza, were currently out on missions. Levy with her two team mates and Erza had taken Wendy and Charle along. Even Happy had gone with them to be close to Charle, not that she thought the Exceed would have been any help. He would have most likely just flown around over their heads while rolling his tongue and saying "They lllliiiike each other!"

And apparently the rest of her so called friends thought that watching her trying to reason with Natsu was great entertainment.

Right now he was holding on to her so tightly her feet were barely touching the ground.

She knew Natsu would be upset about this, but she had hoped he would understand if she explained it to him carefully. Instead he had latched onto her when she stood from the table after their talk and refused to let go since.

Sighing impatiently, she tried once more to reason with him.

"Natsu, we have been over this. I need Laxus' help because it's an S-Class job-" She didn't get any farther as Natsu interrupted her.

"But you don't like going on S-Class jobs!"

Lucy was currently fighting down the urge to snap at him.

"Yes, I don't. But like I already told you, this one is different. The request was issued by the Layton family, they were friends of my parents. I was good friends with their daughter, before I ran away from home, anyway. If they are in trouble, I want to help."

Natsu shook his head, hugging her to him even more.

"Then why can't I come with you?!"

Lucy gasped at the tightening of his arms. Any more of that and she would have trouble breathing.

"Because Laxus said you can't! He is probably tired of you challenging him all the time!"

Well, his exact words had been: _'Alright, I'll take you on the job, but your moronic idiot of a partner and his cat are not coming with us! I'm not gonna do a job with that fire obsessed nut destroying the employees house and a cat flying around my head talking about fish!'_

Quite frankly, Lucy would rather have Natsu go with them as well. He always made her feel safe when he was with her and considering that this was an S-Class mission, she could really use some of that reassurance. Then there was also the fact that she still didn't quite know how to act around Laxus and having Natsu and Happy with them would have surely lightened the atmosphere.

But Laxus was doing her a favour, so the least she could do was to accommodate his wishes. Sadly, her partner didn't see it that way.

"Then fuck Laxus. Let's just go without him!"

Her eyebrow began twitching in annoyance.

"I can't go without Laxus, he is an S-Class wizard, who you need if you want to take on an S-Class job!"

"Then let's take Erza!"

"Erza isn't here right now and won't be back for the next few days. Apart from that, Laxus has already officially accepted the job. Right now he is probably on his way back from getting his things from his place to meet me here so that we can go to the train station!"

And thanks to her pink haired buffoon of a partner she was still at the guild, her travel bag still empty underneath her bed in her apartment and she was nowhere near ready to meet Laxus. Lucy groaned softly, she _so_ hadn't wanted to make a bad impression on the lightning dragon slayer.

Gray was thinking of stepping in and helping Lucy out. At first he and the others had been content to just watch as Lucy tried to break things to Natsu as gently as possible. After all, what could be more entertaining than watching the Flame Brain whine and cling to Fairy Tails one and only celestial spirit mage like his non existent sanity depended on it? But as funny as it had been, he didn't want Lucy to get in trouble with Laxus because he had to wait for her to get ready. The dark haired ice mage was just about to take a step forward when he saw a figure approaching behind the arguing couple.

Natsu stubbornly shook his head and buried it into Lucy's neck, while lifting her feet completely off the floor.

"I don't care! You are not going on a mission without me, even if I have to-" his words were abruptly cut off when a large fist hit him on the back of the head, knocking him out in one blow.

Landing back on her feet, Lucy heard Natsu's unconcious body slump to the floor behind her and quickly turned around. Shocked, she took a slight step back.

"L-Laxus!"

The blonde man, a knapsack slung over his shoulder, just looked at the girl before him and shrugged.

"I expected him to make trouble. I'm guessing you haven't been able to pack anything yet?"

Taken aback by his rather laid back attitude, Lucy simply nodded.

Laxus turned around, heading for the doors again.

"Then lets get to your place and to the station before the moron wakes up again. Our train leaves in about forty minutes, think you can be packed in that time?"

Quickly shaking herself out of her stupor, Lucy ran a little to catch up to the larger man.

"O-of course, that's plenty enough time. Thanks Laxus."

He shrugged again.

"Don't mention it. I told you, it's always fun to pound Natsu."

Unbeknownst to him, Lucy relaxed slightly. Laxus had reacted far calmer than she had expected. He didn't even seem angry that she wasn't prepared yet. Maybe traveling with him wouldn't be so bad.

And the two left the guild hall.

The rest of the Fairy Tail crew stood in an unusualy silence, processing what had just taken place. Gray was the first to move, using his foot to prod the unmoving form of his frenemy on the floor.

"So, what are we gonna do with him?"

 

\----------------------------------------------

 

The train ride was spent in silence, but it wasn't an uncomfortable one. Apparently Laxus suffered from motion sickness as well, though his wasn't as severe as Natsu's and Gajeel's. Still, he told her before the train started to move that he would prefer to just close his eyes and listen to some music from his portable music lacrima. Lucy was completely fine with that. She had dreaded not knowing what to talk about with him during the three hours they would spend in the same compartment. Now though, she would have time to think about possible conversational topics for the two of them when they got off the train in Lirca, where the Layton estate stood.

Still, though, there was a nagging feeling in her gut that she had forgotten something.

\----------------------------------------------

 

Back at the guild, Master Makarov, laden down with a few books, papers, bags that probably held some very skimpy swim wear - if the shops label 'Wet Dreams' was anything to go on, and a huge grin made his way up to the bar. He decided to ignore the chained up and sulking pink haired dragon slayer slumped down against the wall next to it.

"Mirajane, would you happen to know if Lucy is still in my office, or if maybe she has made her way home already? Now, it wasn't easy to do this with such short notice, but I have taken care of everything concerning her little vacation and I got her some sweet stuff to boot!"

The takeover mage had a nervous grin on her face, as she set down the glass she had been cleaning and answered her Master.

"I'm sorry Master, but Lucy left for a job with Laxus a little over an hour ago. It should take them about three days."

Mirajane watched as one after one, the items the little old man was carrying fell to the floor, while his face lost its joyful expression. Then his lips formed into a small pout and he walked over to Natsu and sat down next to him. Both sulking. One because his partner was gone, and the other because it wasn't due to his genius planning.

 

to be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Alright, this chapter is not as long as I promised, but I think you will understand why I wanted this to stand alone after reading.

 

**Chapter 3**

 

Awkward. That was the only word Lucy could think of to describe her current situation.

Laxus and her were on their way to the Layton family home - which was a good ways away from the train station. And once again, silence reigned between the pair. And this time it was definitely an uncomfortable one.

The pretty celestial mage grimaced as she recalled how she had botched it all up. Three hours worth of thinking about all the things she could talk about with the older mage, that would not lead him to think that she was A: an air head, B: boring, or C: weird, and what had she come up with?

"Hey Laxus, do you mind telling me about your mother?"

_/Stupid Lucy! Of course he minds!/_

It was a far too personal question and might have even brought up some unpleasant memories.

_/Why did I even come up with this? Oh, right. Because I was curious about his family aside from Master, but didn't want to bring up his father. Really, what the hell was I thinking? He must be mad, he hasn't even said a word since I asked that stupid question. Damn, damn, damn!/_

While Lucy was beating herself up mentally, Laxus was in a surprisingly similar state.

_/Why did she have to ask that question? The one thing I don't have much to say about. What the hell am I supposed to answer? That all I know about her is her name?/_

That probably wouldn't go over well with Lucy. Everyone in the guild knew how very dear the young woman held the memory of her deceased mother. Telling her that he himself had never bothered to learn anything about the woman who had given live to him surely wouldn't raise her opinion of him.

He wasn't even sure why he had never made inquiries about his mother. As a child, his gramps had filled the role of his parents, and as an angry teenager and young adult, his thoughts had been otherwise occupied.

Now that he thought about it, maybe he should ask his gramps about the woman that had married Ivan Dreyar. There had always been a part of him, albeit a small one, that had been curious about his origins. Sadly, the resolve to talk to his old man did nothing to improve his situation right now.

The blonde girl beside him looked more and more nervous, most likely misreading his silence to her previous question and thinking she had offended him, when the truth was that he was trying not to look like a jerk in her eyes.

So, in hopes of getting a conversation going, he said the first thing that came to mind.

"Nice weather we are having, right?"

He wanted to kick himself. 'Nice weather we are having'?! What was he, a senile old man that didn't have any other concerns than to talk about the freaking weather?

_/Idiot!/_

Fortunately however, Lucy latched on to it like a drowning person would to a straw.

"Yes, we are really lucky. The last few days have been a little dreary. And this city is pretty nice. Have you been here before?"

Laxus shook his head. "No, first time. It's okay, I guess. Seen better, seen worse, at least it has a decent road, not that cobblestone crap most have."

He bit his tongue as soon as he said that. Really? First the weather, and now he was talking about the quality of the road? What the hell was wrong with him?

"Yeah, it's nice. Really... smooth." Lucy agreed. And then, silence once more.

What was it that made it so damn hard to talk to the girl? It wasn't like he was some little boy with a crush! Yeah she was sexy as fuck, but despite him saying that he would help in exchange for her being his girl, back when Phantom Lord attacked, he didn't think of her like that. Which was strange, because he usually thought of all hot women like that. That abnormality aside, it simply shouldn't be so freaking difficult to be around Lucy. So why the hell was it so?   
A subtle glance to his right showed the celestial wizard walking along side him. She was wringing her hands again, like she had done when she found him sitting before the office. He caught small instances where it looked like she was about to say something, then apparently thought better of it, and closed her mouth again.   
Why? Why was she so skittish around him? God dammit she had forgiven that bitch Flare for what she did at the Grand Magic Games, then why couldn't she forgive him as well? It was so fucking frustrating.

He was about to say something, when he saw Lucy drawing slightly nearer to him, her arms - probably without her realizing it - winding around her exposed stomach, her eyes averted from the group of men they had just passed.

Even though he had been pretty deep into his own thoughts, he had heard the quiet comments and seen the leering gazes they threw Lucy's way.

It wasn't like they were the first, either. As he had reminded himself before, Lucy was a sexy young woman, who attracted her fair share of - often lustful - gazes. It was neither surprising nor uncommon and it wasn't like she tried to hide her curvaceous body from view. Surely, she was used to this, so why was she acting so shy now?

He remembered some scenes at the guild, when some of the guys had been a little more lecherous than usual and how she had always blushed a deep red, stuttered and then beat a hasty retreat.   
As well as her continued shyness around a repeatedly naked Gray, even though she really should be used to the sight by now. Then the many times he overheard the women of the guild corner her and try to coax a confession - regarding the state of her relationship with the little moron - out of her. Granted, some of them, a.k.a. Cana, could be rather crass with words, but Lucy's reaction to anything even suggestively sexual bordered on prudish.

He didn't get it. He didn't get HER. And it was so damn frustrating! Again he saw her cringe when some guys wolf-whistled after her and he decided he had had it.

"I don't get you!"

Lucy visibly flinched beside him, looking up with a questioning gaze.

"What?"

Laxus was drawing in a deep breath, trying to calm down a little. After all, he wanted to understand her, not scare her.

"I don't get you. All I have ever seen you wear are clothes that accentuate your figure, show off your curves and a fair amount of skin. Yet, you are obviously not comfortable with the attention you receive because of that. So why the hell do you dress like this?"

Lucy tried to look indignant, but a little blush stole over her cheeks.

"It's not like I wear these clothes to have men drooling after me."

Laxus snorted in disbelieve. "Try again."

Lucy huffed. "Okay. I admit, saying that all the male attention I get isn't a nice ego boost would be a lie. But that's still not the reason why I like this kind of clothes so much."

Still unconvinced, Laxus raised an eyebrow. "So, what is it?"

He was a little startled when she looked to the side, averting his gaze, an unsure tone underlying her words.

"You will think it's stupid."

She was wringing her hands again.

"Let me be the judge of that."

He tried looking at her directly, but she still avoided his eyes, even though they had come to a stop now.

"It's a long story."

And one she clearly was hesitant to share. Still, the older blond somehow knew that this piece of information would be a huge step in getting to know and understand the girl. He softened his voice some, hoping to coax it out of her.

"We have time. The house is still about fifteen minutes away."

Ever so slowly, Lucy nodded and resumed walking again, Laxus right beside her. She sighed.

"You remember about my family, right? I mean, besides Fairy Tail."

Laxus nodded, thinking back to the man, her father, who had started all the drama back then.

"The Heartfilia Family. You used to be one of the richest people in Fiore."

Lucy nodded slightly, going on. "The Heartfilia line is actually one of the few remaining families of noble blood. Our riches came from father's company, but mother was the one of noble heritage. Even though father made more money, when they married he took on her name. The Heartfilia title, the money, the property, the social status... all these things brought with them certain rules."

There was a far off look in her eyes as she spoke.

"One of the first things my father taught me was that as a Heartfilia, I have a higher standing than most other people, which is why I had to be careful of how I acted in public. Who I associated with. What I said. How I said it. The way I moved, the expressions I made. There was a rule for everything.   
'Don't run, it is undignified.'   
'Don't smile too wide, only people without any pride have reason for making such ridiculous faces.'   
'Never get too close to anyone, what you share with them might be used against you.' 'Always walk with your back straight and your head held high, only fools need to look down and watch their step.'   
'Never look anyone directly in the eyes, such familiarity is reserved only for people deserving of our status.'   
Never do this, never do that... I felt like a stranger in my own body. Never able to act in a way I wanted to. Always reminding myself of the rules my status imposed on me for even the simplest of things."

Suddenly she looked up at him. "Did you know the nobles even have a rule for how to hold a fork?"

Laxus blinked, finding the very notion ridiculous. But Lucy picked up her story before he could comment.

"And of course, the clothes. 'An eligible woman of high status may never bare her skin for anyone to see like some common wench'."

The lightning mage had to bite back a chuckle at the way she had just pinched her nose to give her voice that nasal quality when she spoke. Probably an imitation to whoever had taught her that crazy line.

"All I ever owned were dresses and all those dresses were strictly of one style. Long sleeves up to the wrists, from which my hands were covered by gloves. The skirts reached down to exactly a half an inch above the shoes. A high neckline, often reaching up to under my chin, adorned with a choker. And, of course, a tight corset that was supposed to help keep my posture straight. Even my nightgowns were like this, minus the corset and choker. I swear, the only times I saw my own skin were in the few moments it took to change - always with assistance, of course - and when I bathed. Not even my hair was left to be free. 'A Lady always wears her hair in a respectable fashion.' "

Again the nasal voice, this time though Laxus didn't find it half as funny. So far the life she had lived sounded like nothing he had imagined. How often had he asked himself why a young girl like her would run away from being - for all intents and purposes - a princess? It seemed he was getting his answer now.

"That usually meant twisting it into a tight bun. It often gave me a headache. Whenever I looked into a mirror, I felt like it was all suffocating me. In the few instances when I wasn't under the scrutiny of either my father or our servants, I would try to loosen my collar, or roll up my sleeves. Once I lifted up my skirt to right under my knees, with the ridiculous thought that it would somehow help me breathe."   
Lucy giggled slightly at the memory. "Naturally I got caught by my debutant and was heavily reprimanded. When I finally ran away from home, I was - logically - in one of my suffocating dresses."

Again she looked at him, this time with a smirk on her lips. "You wouldn't believe how hard it is to climb over a wall in one of those!"

Well, he sure as hell wasn't going to try, though the mental picture was an amusing one.

"Anyway, when I had made it into the nearest town, everyone was staring at me, and I knew that I needed to buy new clothes if I didn't want to be recognized and sent back to my father immediately. So I practically sprinted into the next shop, randomly grabbed some clothes, paid for them and went into a cabin to change. It was only when I was putting them on that I realized that I had grabbed some rather revealing clothes. A sleeveless top with a deep neckline and a pair of shorts that didn't even graze my knees. At first, I was mortified. Anything I had ever worn from the age of six had covered up every piece of skin from my neck down. And there I was, standing in a small cabin, wearing clothes that showed far more skin than any girl of noble heritage could ever be allowed to reveal."

There was this far off look in her eyes again, this time though, it was not anywhere near as melancholy as the first one.

She was smiling.

"It was scandalous. I looked at my reflection in the mirror and saw pale white arms and legs that hadn't seen the sun in years. My throat that was free of its usual choker. The bared skin over that deep neckline, right up to the beginning of my breasts, before the outrageously revealing top covered them up. And then I took a deep breath."

At this point, she actually did take a deep breath. Her voice had gotten an almost dreamy sound to it.

"There was no corset pressing on my ribcage. I stepped out of the cabin and there was no long, heavy skirt constricting my movements. I went outside and could feel a fresh breeze against my legs and the warm rays of the sun on my arms. I stood there, I don't even know for how long. Just breathing."

And just like she must have back then, Lucy stood still in the street, her arms slightly lifted from her body, head tilted upward, like she was trying to embrace the air rushing through her lungs, the wind blowing on her skin and the sun warming her flesh. Laxus just stared at her, only able to guess how this must have felt to her back then. After a few seconds more of this, Lucy seemingly caught herself and shook her head to get rid of the memory for now and quickly, slightly embarrassed for getting so caught up in her story, resumed walking.

"That was the first time that I felt free. Truly free. And it was all because of those outrageously scandalous clothes."

She laughed again, looking down at her attire.

"I guess these kind of clothes bring with them their own kinds of expectations, but for me, they are the embodiment of my freedom. I'm reminded of that with ever breath I take. And I won't give that up. For no one. Even if that means living with lecherous gazes and crude comments. That's a small price to pay and it's not like I have to live up to their expectations."

Then Lucy again looked up at the tall man next to her and, suddenly self conscious, quickly turned her eyes to the ground, rubbing the back or her neck with one hand.

"I told you it's stupid."

She was startled when a big hand landed on her head and softly ruffled her hair.

"No. It's not stupid at all."

He had been right. This story had been a huge step in understanding and getting to know Lucy better, and he would be damned if he didn't make use of it.

After Lucy had gotten over her embarrassment over his affectionate gesture, the two continued their way in a lighter mood, talking about random and unimportant things, but with a smile on both of their faces. And if any of the men around, who felt the need to voice their opinion on Lucy's figure, ended up being shocked by stray lightning,... well. As Laxus had said before, it was some nice weather they were having.

 

to be continued...


End file.
